Fields-Penn House

Fields-Penn House

Abingdon Welcome Center

"James Fields, a brickyard owner and builder, constructed this two-story five-bay brick house. The Greek Revival house has lost its original entrance portico, but the doorway retains its sidelights and transom. Italianate details include the paired brackets supporting the deep eaves. Now a house museum, it has been restored to its mid-nineteenth-century appearance. In Abingdon's early history, this end of town was a vital part of the community, but growth moved east and left it stranded for a time. Now various cultural attractions have given it new life."

"In the late 1960's the Penn heirs considered selling the property. To prevent the house from being removed and the lot converted to commercial use, the Penn House Preservation Foundation was formed to purchase the house and lot. This group has recently deeded the property to the Town of Abingdon, which plans to use the house as a Visitor's Center and House museum."

Talk about a 'new life'; they area around the Fields-Penn House has experienced a reanaissance! The house has been extensively renovated and does now serve as the town of Abingdon's Vistors Center. In 2007 the Abingdon Farmer's Market relocated to the Market Pavilion directly behind and across Remsburg Dr. from the Visitor's Center (the Urban Pathway follows the line of the Norfolk and Western RR from The Depot and passes right by the Pavilion). In 2023 the site of the former Carter Bank building on West Main across the Municipal Parking lot from the Visitor's Center was transformed into The Commons, an "artisan foods" venue hosting a number of local vendors, offering a variety of foods and beverages both packaged and prepared.